Gibraltar
Playing Cards in Gibraltar.
Ever since the Anglo-Dutch fleet captured Gibraltar over 300 years ago during the war of Spanish succession, the small territory at the southern tip of Spain has been a bone of contention between Madrid and London. Although British sovereignty was formalised by the treaty of Utrecht in 1713 and Gibraltar became a British colony in 1830, Spain understandably has always bristled at the idea of UK ownership. Referendums - in 1967 and 2002 - have shown that the overwhelming majority of residents wish Gibraltar to remain British.
In the early WW2 playing cards were regarded as superfluous. However, in 1943 Mr Winston Churchill intervened to ensure that a supply was available for the forces to provide amusement during long hours of monotony or waiting.
Above: image from video newsreel film showing 2nd World War troops being issued with playing cards whilst en route between Britain and Gibraltar.
Above: card from the “Royal Cards of Queen Anne” covering historical events during the period 1702 to 1704. See more →
Above: two typical packs of “Gibraltar Souvenir Playing Cards”, as seen in local shops during a visit in 2011, with reverses showing the same photographic views as on picture post cards.
"One dull evening Major Burke, the town-major of Gibraltar, was sitting playing cards with two other officers in a house near King’s Bastion. In the middle of a deal a stray shell crashed into the room putting out the candle. It also unfortunately fell on his lap. In those early days shells did not necessarily explode on impact. The long fuses attached to them tended to burn for quite a while. His card-playing friends immediately leapt out of the room and were unharmed. Poor Burke, however, was pinned down by the weight of the shell and was blown to pieces."
Above & right: 52 Souvenir Photos of Gibraltar playing cards produced locally by ‘Estoril’, c.2012. 52 different photos, plus 2 comic jokers. Courtesy Matt Probert.
Gibraltar's geographical location made it into a key strategic asset. A unique feature of the Rock is its system of underground passages, known as the Galleries or the Great Siege Tunnels. Now that its military importance has declined, and with no large-scale agricultural or industrial activity, much of Gibraltar's income is derived from customs duties, offshore finance, internet gaming, tourism and the provisioning of ships. The Ocean Village Development, for example, one of the newest premier investment opportunities in Gibraltar, hopes to cater for the millions of tourists who visit each year. At the same time, 800 affordable flats have been built recently for local residents, many of whom are experiencing debt problems or unemployment. The many souvenir shops today offer standard Anglo-American packs bearing photographic scenes on the reverse, made cheaply in China or other Far Eastern countries, as no playing card manufacturer is based in Gibraltar.
Read article about the Online Gambling industry in Gibraltar►
By Simon Wintle
Member since February 01, 1996
Founder and editor of the World of Playing Cards since 1996. He is a former committee member of the IPCS and was graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal for many years. He has lived at various times in Chile, England and Wales and is currently living in Extremadura, Spain. Simon's first limited edition pack of playing cards was a replica of a seventeenth century traditional English pack, which he produced from woodblocks and stencils.
Leave a Reply
Your Name
Just now
Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here.
Related Articles
Leadmill playing cards
Promotional pack for an arts centre in Sheffield with designs by Martin F. Bedford.
Agatha Christie and card games
Agatha Christie uses card-play as a primary focus of a story, and as a way of creating plots and mot...
English Heritage
52 different colour photos of historic sites managed by English Heritage.
The Malt Whiskies of Scotland
Three packs featuring photographs by Duncan McEwan of malt whisky distilleries in Scotland.
Typographic Playing Cards
Typographic Playing Cards designed by Jim Sutherland, c.2010.
76: Transitions: Hunt & Sons
Styles change and technology develops. This means that it's possible to see transition periods in th...
Gibson’s History of England
History without tears for young and old, 1920s.
Simpson (Piccadilly) playing cards
Innovative advertising pack for Simpsons of Piccadilly designed by André François.
Scruffy Mutts
‘Scruffy Mutts’ dog-themed playing cards, United Kingdom, c.1998.
Hamlet Cigars
Advertising deck for “Hamlet mild cigars”, a Benson & Hedges product.
Heathen Divinities
Handmade playing cards from the British Museum depicting classical Greek and Roman gods and goddesse...
1968 Worshipful Company Pack
Commemorating the Games of the XIX Olympiad, Mexico, 1968 (Master: Michael J. Amberg).
Royal Britain
Pack devised by Pietro Alligo depicting English monarchs from Alfred the Great to Elizabeth II.
Hand-drawn set of 52 playing cards
An imaginatively hand-drawn set of 52 playing cards by an amateur artist, 18th century.
Famous Faces playing cards
Images of the great and the good to be found in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
Go Go Gorillas!
Go Go Gorillas! charity playing cards sponsored by the Eastern Daily Press and the Norwich Evening N...
Trending Articles
Popular articles from the past 28 days
